Werewolves of Mushiyori
by owlloveyou
Summary: Never disturb the dead, lest you become one of them sooner than you'd wish.
1. eins

**A/N: **Yikes, I shouldn't be making another fic while I'm working on _Li._ but I've been itching to write this for a while now. I told myself when I was writing this fic it wouldn't be as serious and in depth as _Nerv._ and _Li._ and it's not but… it still took a turn I didn't expect and I'm in for the long haul. It'll be much shorter than my _Nerv._ series though, that's for sure.

This story has no ties to my _Nerv._ series and can be read separately (though I'll shamelessly ask you to give it a try because it'd be much appreciated).

And third person POV! I feel very uncomfortable with it as I much prefer first person but decided I could try it out with this. Oh, and _please_ don't be afraid to tell me how I'm doing, good or bad, on Shizuru's character. I don't write her often but she's a main character in this fic and I hope to write her well!

Without further ado…

* * *

><p><strong>I. GRAVEYARD GIRL.<strong>

* * *

><p>"You've just been acting weird, Megumi."<p>

Fashionably tousled brown hair lay just above thick lashes as honey brown eyes glanced to the side, outside the café window.

It was a large coffee shop with businessmen on their lunches and saleswomen in line for their obligatory one P.M. caffeine shot. At the small, square table next to the entrance in front of the bow window sat two young adults.

"You're not the same and it's kind of worrying." He glanced to the ebony haired girl who had yet to look up at him.

Her hands lay in her lap and she took more interest in the creamy coffee that sat in front of her. She tried listening to anything else, paying attention to anything else. She didn't want to look up at him. She knew she wouldn't like what she'd see.

She knew what was happening.

She focused on the little design the barista made in her coffee with the creamer, the pattern of a leaf's veins and its shape. She forced herself to examine the colors, noting the coffee beneath the vanilla creamer reminded her of her eye color.

"And you're tense all the time and paranoid," he continued. "You're restless at night when you're not having nightmares and you won't even look at me when we're…" He slowed to a stop and then drew a deep breath. "Yeah, I guess I'm dragging this out, huh?"

She didn't respond.

"I guess it just hasn't been the same since we all got back from the camping trip. And it's been a while and… I'm worried about you."

She didn't respond.

"I guess… just know I still care about you. We've been together for so long. You've been a good part of my life, you know?"

He hoped she would respond this time. She didn't.

"I've tried everything I could to be supportive but you don't want help," he said. "You don't even look at me anymore. Your eyes are always on the ground around me. It hurts."

He didn't expect any response at this point; he knew he wouldn't receive one.

"I don't know what I did to make you change your feelings about me, but I'm sorry."

She felt a twinge of guilt twist the cords in her heart but she still did not open her mouth to speak.

"Maybe in the future one day, you know? When things are sorted out… when you sort things out, we can give it another try."

She held back the stinging in her eyes, the burning in the bridge of her nose. He was just being courteous.

"So… I guess this is it?" he chuckled pathetically and stood up, placing some money on the table, including the tip. "I'll… see you around, Megu."

He walked past her slowly, rubbing the back of his neck. He hoped he'd hear her utter something—anything. Just to get closure so he could feel better about this. He was already done; he just wanted to make sure she was too.

When he stepped through the door, he hoped it wasn't his mind playing tricks on him, because he could have sworn he heard a faint whisper of the familiar, sweet voice he knew.

"Bye, Yamato."

He glanced back at her, finding she hadn't moved an inch. Her head still shifted towards her cup, black curls lying over her shoulder.

He stepped out of the café and didn't bother looking back.

When she heard the jingle of the bell from the closing door, she blinked away the tears and gathered the courage to look up from her coffee. And there one stood, a new one: pellucid and bright green. Scrawny limbs attached to a slouchy, fat body.

The monsters that plagued her since the camping trip. The ghoul, about as big as the menu a worker had taken from her table about fifteen minutes ago, grinned widely at her with sharp teeth and taunted her with its disgusting laughter.

She glanced around the café, noting nobody was close by to her. She glared down at the monster and then out the window, watching Yamato walk away. He was followed by the same kind of translucent beings that haunted her.

Grotesque, large bugs; devilish, creepy imps; and morbid ghouls… he didn't have the slightest clue he was being followed. None of them did apparently… except for her. She could have sworn they were all in denial as she tried telling them before.

She turned her glare back onto the monster, who was snickering now.

"Leave me alone," she hissed. "Be gone."

"You wanted to play with the other realms," the ghoul cackled.

Megumi glanced around the café to see if anyone else could hear. Nobody could.

"One day you may find a way to get rid of us but you played where you shouldn't. More of us will just come around. You've angered the wrong being."

It vanished, dispersed—practically '_poofed'_—into thin air, and she quickly gathered her belongings and left the café. She cautiously looked around her, hoping to not see the one being she feared most. She briskly walked to the only place they seemed to leave her alone—why, she wasn't sure. But since it all began, it was her safe haven.

She stepped foot inside her work, welcoming the smell of hair products and perfumes, and glanced behind her to see the ghouls and monsters were gone. Heaving a sigh of relief, Megumi walked to her station and glanced at the time on the wall. Her lunch was over but her next client wouldn't be here for another half-hour.

The salon was trendy chic, totally modern for the nineties and brimming with style of the youth and young adults in the fashion world. On the walls were professional photographs of models sporting hairstyles from grunge to red carpet acceptable. The newest pop hits played softly from the ceiling speakers but sometimes the radio host would bless them with the golden oldies of their nation. The stations were personalized with the stylist's materials, ranging from frilly pink to plain and clean to street punk dirty.

Her own station fell into the category of "clean and boring," mainly because she didn't like her work space cluttered... and because she wasn't a hair stylist and therefore didn't get much work space.

She sat in her chair and began looking through her nail polish collection, remembering which ones were becoming more popular and which were falling behind in the season's trends. She began rearranging them in order of most popular to least as a heavy trance beat vibrated through the air.

She was noticeably upset because Mom's advice wasn't working.

_"If you're ever bothered by a spirit, you tell them to leave you alone," she said simply one day when Megumi was sixteen. Her slender mother stood in front of the bathroom mirror tying her black hair into a tight bun. "Harmless spirits will listen."_

_"And what if they're not harmless?" Megumi asked at the doorway._

_Her mother shrugged. "Sometimes you wait it out and see if they leave. If things become dangerous then you need to seek help from Grandmama or Grandpa."_

_Megumi didn't want to say the words but she knew she had to ask. The couple were far in their golden years after all. "And… what if they've passed on when I need help?"_

_Her mother sighed sadly. "You'll need to find help from someone else. You know Grandmama only told us the basics because we said we didn't want to lead a spiritual life like her."_

Where was she going to get help?

Yamato didn't believe her and neither did Michiru or Kenji. They were in denial of anything being strange let alone _wrong_. None of them were spiritual, Grandmama died last year, Grandpa had been dead for years now, Mom wasn't that gifted, Dad wasn't gifted at all, and she didn't know anyone else who could help.

Where could she go?

She'd only ever dealt with ghosts and even then she just told them to leave her alone, and like her mother said, they did. She'd never had a problem until the camping trip. She knew it was a bad idea…

Mom wasn't that great a help with her limited knowledge so she didn't bother burdening the aging woman. Megumi knew she had to find someone who knew what they were doing—someone who was truly spiritual—because she already tried the local shrine and they were a crock of shit.

She wished she took up her grandmother's offer to lead a spiritual life…

Where could she find someone who knew how to rid evil spirits?

"Something wrong, Ijiri?"

Megumi glanced up to her coworker, watching the brunette pass by.

"You're looking kind of glum."

"Oh…" Megumi forced a smile but it faded quickly. "Uh… Yamato and I just ended our relationship."

Her coworker gave a sympathetic frown. "How are you holding up?"

"Well, I saw it coming." Megumi shrugged, glancing out the shop window to see if her ghouls were still lingering. The same green monster from earlier snickered and waved at her before disappearing. Megumi frowned. "It hurts, but I guess since I saw it coming it doesn't hurt as bad as it should."

Her coworker glanced out the window and then back at Megumi.

"A couple of my friends and I are getting together tonight," she said. "Typical girls' night. Wine, liquor, food, and cheesy videos. You're welcome to join if you want."

Megumi gave an appreciative smile before glancing out the window again, remembering her predicament.

"Well, actually… I really appreciate it, Kuwabara, but I'd hate to impose—"

"Well, actually, I changed my mind. It's not an invitation; it's nonnegotiable." She shrugged nonchalantly before heading to her station. "You're coming and you're going to forget Yamato for the night."

Megumi sighed despite the smile creeping up on her lips. Maybe it would be a good idea… maybe the ghouls would leave her alone if she pretended to not notice them for the night. One of the best ways to make someone stop bullying you, aside from getting help from an authority figure, was to act like you weren't fazed by their antics…

"Sure!" Megumi thanked her coworker.

As she began her next customer's manicure, she was rightfully excited to take her mind off her troubles—maybe this would actually work out! Her mood dipped a bit as she remembered that if she had just pushed a bit harder for everyone to stop, then maybe she wouldn't be in this mess…

* * *

><p><span><strong>THE CAMPING NIGHT<strong>

With the moon peeking a little over the horizon in the night, a white Toyota sedan headed down a dirt road of the quiet outskirts of Mushiyori. Michiru, in the back seat, rolled down her window to smell the crisp spring air. They were coming up to the mountains and would be in the woods soon, and all but one in their group was excited.

"Yuzuha said she saw a kappa when she went up here!" Michiru said excitedly, practically leaning out of the window. "In the cave's river!"

Megumi smirked, rolled her eyes, and sent a glance to Yamato, who was driving. She then looked over her shoulder to her friend. "Kappa's are just a myth."

"So are tsuchigumos!" Yamato argued, rolling to a stop in front of the large wood sign that read 'Makihara Nature Conservation Area'. "But people have been saying they've seen some wandering around!"

"Uh-huh. And just how are we supposed to find them?" Megumi asked as everyone began exiting the sedan.

Yamato popped the trunk as Megumi got out of the car and hiked her backpack over her shoulder. The group began pulling out their camping belongings as Yamato appeared from behind the car to show her something that made her skin crawl.

A Ouija board.

"No!" Megumi yelped, stepping away from them. "No, we don't mess with the dead, you guys!"

"It's just a _myth_, remember?" Michiru snickered, pinning her long brown hair to her head with a clip.

"No, we don't disturb the dead—"

"This place is crawling with the supernatural, Megu." Yamato inched to her, trying to wrap his arms around his girlfriend.

"No, you're touching that! Don't touch me when you're touching that," she squealed, practically running to the other side of the car and stopping in front of the hood. "Get rid of that!"

"You're superstitious about ghosts but can't believe that people have been seeing youkai?" Kenji asked.

"I've seen ghosts," Megumi replied promptly, earning smirks and eye rolls from Michiru and Kenji. "I know not to disturb them, especially not over something as trivial and _fake_ as urban legends about _youkai."_

Kenji turned on a flashlight. "You can stay in the car if you want but I know I'm headed into the woods. This is the perfect place to talk to the dead."

"I'm going too," Michiru said, following after her boyfriend. "This place just _screams_ 'creepy'."

"Perfect place?" Megumi asked, watching her friends and boyfriend start towards the forestry.

"Remember that weird pillar of light that shot out the ground like three years ago?" Michiru asked. "It's said to have led to the cave in these mountains."

"A lot of people in the city also experienced some weird things around the same time. And it wasn't from ghosts," Yamato added.

"Plus, this is the best place to get info about it all because there's Irima's cave."

Megumi paled. "No—no we're not going to disturb people there!"

"Come on, they're suicide victims." Michiru grabbed Megumi's hand. "They'll take any attention they can get!"

Michiru dragged Megumi into the woods with them, reassuring her it wasn't that big a deal and confiding in her that she didn't believe in much of the stuff Yamato and Kenji were into. She was just in it for the thrill and fun, to have a night of adventure.

Megumi was uncomfortable as they reached the entrance to Irima's cave, nervous about seeing someone's soul wandering about.

"It's a clear night, let's set up camp in the open so we can see the stars," Yamato offered and everyone but Megumi quickly agreed.

"Full moon," Kenji taunted, handing her a bunch of large candles. "The crazies, spirits, and youkai are out tonight."

"Shut up." Megumi rolled her eyes and refused to help them set up the camp by setting the candles on the ground in silent protest. She taunted back with faux enthusiasm. "Oooh,_ full moon_! Bet we'll find some werewolves too, _huh?_ Kenji?"

Her taunt only backfired because Kenji's eyes lit up. "Maybe."

Megumi groaned and eyed the area, feeling uneasy about her surroundings. She remembered her grandmother's words to never disturb the dead—if they wanted to talk to you they would try on their own first.

After they set up camp and started a little fire pit in a circle of rocks, Megumi eased into her group of friends as they focused more on getting drunk and playing board and card games. Her ease was squashed the moment Kenji checked his watch for the fifth time that night.

"It's almost one in the morning, guys," he said, reaching for the Ouija board. "Let's get everything set up."

Megumi tensed and Yamato pulled her close, resting his chin atop her head. "Don't worry! We're not going to be mean; we just want to talk to them! That won't make them angry. Right, Megu?"

"We just shouldn't disturb the dead," Megumi grumbled, tucking a curled lock of black hair behind her ear.

"I think they'll like the company, we can ask questions about them!" Michiru encouraged. "Maybe they're friendly."

"Friendly ghosts can get angry…" Megumi side-glanced to the cave's entrance, feeling a soft rumble of unease in her stomach.

Yamato poured a bottle of water on the fire, putting it out.

"Come on, we won't be mean!" Kenji said, setting up the board as Michiru began lighting candles and setting them up around the group. "Hear that, ghosts? We want to get to know you!"

"Shhhh!" Megumi hissed, smacking Kenji in the arm.

He jumped slightly, laughing childishly as he set the board where the little fire pit just was, resting the evil toy on the little circle of rocks.

The four sat in a small circle around the board. Megumi watched as everything was set up, and reluctantly, slowly, placed one hand in Yamato's and the other in Kenji's. They were silent for a few moments, patiently waiting for one of them to begin. Everyone jumped in fright as Kenji let out a howl, like a wolf crying for the moon. Megumi nearly jumped out of her skin, squealing in fright.

Kenji chuckled at her reaction and Megumi punched him in the arm, growling. "You're really getting on my nerves, Kenji."

Kenji leaned in towards Megumi, a devious smile on his face. "It's a full moon. Who knows what we'll get tonight."

Megumi bristled, scowl deepening. She could feel something wrong in the pit of her stomach because of his stupid howl. "This is asinine and you are too."

"It's just a game, Megu," Yamato said, placing a quick kiss on her temple. "Come on, lighten up."

She slowly placed her hands in theirs again. She stared down at the Ouija board, watching what little smoke was left behind from the fire pit snake out from underneath the board and curl around it before crawling to the sky. The candle lights flickered ominously to Megumi, casting a surreal glaze of orange light over the board and her friend's faces.

"Oh, kind spirits of the park," Kenji started, and Michiru repressed a snicker. "We call upon you all to talk to us, share your stories and knowledge of the unknown in this vast land."

Megumi glanced to her friends; all of them had their eyes closed… Scared, she looked at her surroundings, feeling something stirring in the air.

Her eyes landed on the forestry yards away, finding a young woman at the edge of the woods. Megumi knew in her gut they had all messed up—they were in for it—that woman didn't seem happy and she sure as hell didn't seem alive. She couldn't see the woman's face as her dark hair seemed to shadow her features.

The group opened their eyes. Everyone put their fingertips on the planchette and Megumi slowly followed suit, watching the woman at the edge of the woods with fearful eyes.

"Oh, spirits. If you're here, please give us a sign," Yamato called.

Megumi watched as a translucent hand came into her view of the Ouija board. A thin, broken-nailed index finger touched the planchette and began nudging it around.

Everyone watched with wide eyes as the planchette began spelling out the reply.

_"…Leave?"_ Michiru asked in disbelief and sent her irritated gaze immediately to Megumi. "Megumi, stop being a party-shitter."

"I didn't do that!" Megumi squeaked in fright. "I swear… We should really leave, you guys! Let's stop this."

"What's your name, spirit?" Yamato asked.

Megumi glanced to the woman who was now squatting beside Michiru. Megumi took in the woman's dirty, bloody, and torn, white business blouse and pencil skirt. She was barefoot and her nylons had runs. Her black hair was matted against her face, preventing Megumi from seeing any facial features.

They watched as the planchette moved again.

"_Yayoi. Leave,_" Kenji read. "Hm… one more question, miss."

Megumi looked to the ghost pleadingly and mouthed: "I'm so sorry… Please don't be angry…"

The planchette moved again.

"_Leave or truly be sorry," _Michiru read.

"How did you die?" Kenji asked.

Megumi watched the woman turn her head to Kenji. Nobody seemed to actually _see_ her and Megumi wasn't surprised at the fact.

"Leave her alone, Kenji," Megumi whispered. "She doesn't want to talk to us."

"Then why does she keep replying?" Yamato whispered to her.

Megumi glanced to the woman. The planchette was moving on its own as the woman gently tilted her head to the side, letting her hair fall out the way of her face. As her head moved, her skin inched with her, splitting open and… showing the deep, horizontal, crimson slit.

_"…Murder?!"_ Michiru gasped as Megumi noted the woman's eyes were gone—gouged out. "But Irima's Cave is supposed to be a suicide spot!"

Dried, caked blood around the orifices where her eyes used to be were darker than the night. Deep gashes and scratches littered her face: the apples of her sharp cheekbones, her lips, chin, bridge of her nose, arches of her brows…

"Who killed you, Yayoi?" Kenji asked.

"Stop, Kenji," Megumi breathed, eyes fixated on the translucent, torn skin.

"Who killed you?" he asked again a bit more forceful, desperate.

Megumi's jaw dropped open in horror as the woman leaned towards her, stretching her jaw wide open. It stretched inhumanly large enough to convince Megumi her head was soon going to be inside that dark hole and her body would be on the ground, spurting blood from an open neck.

Petrified, she stared inside the mouth's darkness, watching the once human teeth morph into fangs—like something from a shark—until the shrill screech of a banshee came out of the morbid darkness. Megumi screamed in fright and closed her eyes, slapping her hands over her ears.

The screaming stopped abruptly and the candles flickered out. The spirit was gone.

Smoke snaked in the air around the group as they sat in silence, stunned. The darkness returned around them, their only light the moon above in the clear night sky.

"What's wrong, Megu?!" Yamato asked, quickly wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close.

None of them heard the scream…

"There's no wind…" Michiru's voice shook. "There was no wind to blow out all the candles!"

Kenji stared down at the board in shock. "What did you hear, Megumi?"

Megumi glanced to the woods and then over her shoulder to the entrance of the cave in hopes of finding the woman, but she was gone.

"She's… she's really angry…" Megumi trembled in Yamato's embrace, eyes glued to the dark entrance behind her.

A heavy atmosphere settled upon the group, all of them looking at the cave's entrance.

* * *

><p><span><strong>THE SALON<strong>

"Ready, Ijiri?" Shizuru asked as Megumi put on her thin, black jacket.

"Are you sure you don't mind me coming, Kuwabara?" she asked for the third time since Shizuru's last customer left.

The two of them have been coworkers for years now, ever since Megumi moved up here to live with her grandmother. Megumi was the manicurist of the salon and she enjoyed watching Shizuru do her client's hair. The brunette was simply talented with a pair of scissors.

Never before had she heard a complaint from any customer about Shizuru. She even had Shizuru trim her hair and anyone who knew Megumi knew she treasured her easy-to-curl, soft hair.

They talked on breaks and before work started, but never before had Shizuru actually invited Megumi anywhere with her. They were "friends," but mainly because they were coworkers. Coworkers first and foremost, and because of that, Megumi wondered if she would be able to hold a conversation outside of work with her.

"Yes," Shizuru replied tiredly. "I wouldn't invite someone I didn't want to be around."

Megumi smiled and grabbed her purse. "Alright, let's go!"

Shizuru walked ahead of Megumi, who glanced around out of habit the moment she stepped outside the salon… And there she stood in all her translucent glory.

Megumi's breath caught in her throat and her body went cold as she noticed the ghost woman's mutilated face in the crowded street. Bustling people walked past her, in front of her, but each time they moved on, she was still there.

"You okay?" Shizuru asked as she locked up the salon.

Megumi tore her eyes away from the woman and gave a weak smile to her coworker.

She tried her hardest to keep her voice from trembling. "Yeah, let's go!"

Megumi turned to walk with Shizuru and sent one last glance over her shoulder to see the woman.

She was gone.


	2. zwei

**II. BRANDY, YOU'RE A FINE GIRL.**

* * *

><p><span><strong>THE CAMPING NIGHT<strong>

Kenji howled with laughter, his baritone voice echoing down the mountain. "This is so cool! Holy shit!"

"No, Kenji, it's not! She's pissed off!" Megumi snapped, eyes stinging with tears.

"Did you really see her?" Michiru leaned towards Megumi. "Really?"

"She's really pissed off, you guys…" Megumi curled into Yamato's hold, who finally decided to glance over his shoulder and into the dark cave.

Megumi looked over her shoulder again, following Yamato's gaze. "What?"

Yamato looked to Kenji with a devious grin, and the supernatural enthusiast returned it with glee.

"Let's go find her!" Kenji stood up and grabbed a flashlight in one hand and his Svedka bottle in the other.

"No! No, don't fucking make her angrier, Kenji!" Megumi snapped as Yamato let her go and stood up as well.

"Come on, you know this is all just for fun anyway, Megu," Yamato said, leaning over to smile at her. "Let's just go apologize."

Michiru stood up and followed Kenji, voice trembling. "Wait, you guys! I really think we should just go home!"

Megumi turned around to watch her friends disappearing in the cave's darkness. She was determined to not go in there. She turned back around and faced the woods in front of her.

After just seconds, she was enveloped with a strong sense of fear—true terror. She stared into the woods, apprehensive. Someone was out there—was it the woman? Someone else…? She couldn't tell… All she knew with certainty was she was being watched with what felt like thousands of eyes.

She looked around her, checking over her shoulder repeatedly in suspicion of someone—no, some_thing_—sneaking up behind her. The shift in the air, the soft breaths, the footfalls that mixed in her heartbeat... But every time she looked, nothing was there.

But something had to be. She felt it… She was being watched… by more than one being.

With shaky knees, she stood as quickly as she could.

"You… you guys?" she yelled after them as she found the strength to run to the cave. "Wait!"

* * *

><p><span><strong>THE KUWABARA HOUSEHOLD<strong>

"Thanks for having me over," Megumi said quietly as she took off her black kitten heels at the front door.

"Hey, Kazu!" Shizuru called as she walked into the living room.

Megumi took in the nice wood floors and beige walls of the home as she walked into the small hallway. It was quite cute and nice, reminded her of Mom and Dad's home back in the suburbs of Tokyo.

She scanned over the family pictures on the wall, some were a younger Kuwabara with a little boy and others were school photos of them separately… One portrait in particular stuck out to Megumi: a woman with light brown, orange-tinted hair and familiar eyes. Her portrait was framed in black.

A voice called from the stairs, dragging Megumi's attention away from the picture. "Yeah?"

As Megumi stepped into the living room, she glanced over to the stairs, finding the little boy with orange-brown hair from the photos all grown up. He was a handsome young man and she smiled up at him before bowing her head a little.

As she raised her head she noticed the strange look on his face. Like he smelled something bad and saw something creepy all in one.

"This is my coworker." Shizuru nodded to the ebony haired girl, who was confused at the boy's expression. "Ijiri, Megumi. Iriji, this is my younger brother, Kazuma."

"It's… nice to meet you," Megumi said softly, slightly offended.

Kazuma quickly fixed his expression and gave her a welcoming smile. "Nice to meet you!"

"Send Yukina on down, yeah?" Shizuru said, headed towards the kitchen. "The girls will be here soon."

"Yeah, don't be too loud, Sis." Kazuma turned around, waving her off. "I have a mock exam tomorrow."

"Uh-huh, you got it," she replied.

Megumi slowly followed Shizuru into the kitchen to find the brunette pulling the cork off a bottle of red wine.

"What's your poison?" Shizuru asked, nodding to the full bottle.

"Oh… uh…" Megumi glanced around the kitchen. "Brandy?"

Shizuru smirked and went to the pantry. "Kazuma likes to say we're our own little liquor shop." She opened the door and bent down to pull out a bottle of dirty gold. "Ah, figured we'd have some."

She couldn't help but feel awkward here. Kuwabara's little brother didn't seem to like her and now Megumi couldn't think of any conversation to start with her coworker. She was beginning to think of excuses to head home as soon as possible. It was times like this she wished she was a teenager again so she could say her mother wanted her to come home right now _immediately._ Being in her twenties and living alone meant she was stuck to think of a believable, inoffensive excuse.

The doorbell rang, and a soft, feminine voice from the living room called out. "I'll get it!"

"Ice?" Shizuru asked, finding a thick glass from one of the cupboards.

"Yes, please." Megumi smiled.

"Oh, a guest!" Another voice squealed in delight.

Megumi turned around to see the people she'd be spending time with for the night if she couldn't find and excuse and saw… Well, at least one seemed _normal_. But two girls, both with hair in the gradient of blue and eyes in the pools of red stood before her.

Contacts, she thought as she stared with wide eyes. And dye job. Totally contacts and dye job. Done by someone with a hell of a lot of talent because those were damn good dye jobs.

It was strange, though, seeing how the girls who adorned these extravagant and bright colors weren't the usual street punks that wore the look. Both girls wore stylish, frilly clothes—the one with the color of hair like blue cotton candy enjoyed high-waist khaki slacks and a forest green blouse.

She glanced to the girl with the mint green hair, noting the pretty, pink cardigan and matching headband.

No way could they be delinquents… so why did they choose those colors? Were they in the Harajuku scene?

"It's nice to meet you." Megumi broke out of her trance and gave a smile.

She glanced to the other girl with long, darker brown hair.

"Left to right." Shizuru said, standing next to Megumi and handing her the glass. "Keiko, Botan, and Yukina. This is Ijiri, Megumi, my coworker."

"Nice to meet you!" All three girls chimed around the same time.

Keiko heaved up a couple bags that had warmth emitting from them. "Glad I brought extra! I didn't think we'd have a new friend over."

"Yeah, Megumi just got dumped so I invited her," Shizuru said blandly, passing the ebony haired girl by.

Megumi bristled and blushed. "H-hey!"

Shizuru sent a playful smirk her way as Keiko and Botan immediately rushed to Megumi.

"Oh, dear, how are you taking?" Botan leaned against the counter next to Megumi, placing a consoling hand on her shoulder. "Do you want to send him prank calls?"

"Botan, honestly, you'd think you would have grown up by now," Keiko sighed, and Botan replied with a childish giggle. "It's like you never left Sarayashiki."

Megumi couldn't help but instantly forgive Kuwabara for her teasing as the brunette knew she would welcome the support.

"I'm handling it better than I thought." Megumi shrugged with a small smile.

"The best advice is to just avoid him!" Keiko huffed. "Trust me; cutting off all contact is the best thing to do."

"You did that for three years and literally the day Yusuke came back, you rushed into his arms," Shizuru commented as she picked up a Styrofoam bowl from the bag.

Keiko's eye twitched and she sent an irritated glance over her shoulder to Shizuru, who was now handing Megumi the bowl.

She took it with a playful, puckered smile as she watched Keiko's rebuttal. "Well… There needs to be people who don't turn back on their word!"

Megumi laughed with Botan and Yukina.

"How long have you two been dating?" Megumi asked as everyone grabbed a bowl.

"On and off." Keiko shrugged. "Officially… about nine months, but I've known him since I was a child. Unfortunately."

"Year and a half," Megumi replied with a small laugh. "Met him when I first moved up here about three years ago."

"Aren't you from Tokyo?" Shizuru asked, twisting her noodles around her chopsticks.

"What would make you want to leave the city?" Yukina asked, breaking hers apart. "Kazuma went with me once and it was just bustling with life."

"I wanted to live with my grandmother because we were really close and she was close to passing away," Megumi replied as Botan handed her a pair. "She left me her house in her will so I could live here, otherwise I would have left back to Tokyo."

Now eased into the groove of the conversation, Megumi was enjoying the company and was truly glad she decided to come. Not only were the conversations easy, but not one ghoul or monster was creeping around her corner. The woman didn't appear once. The girls were talking and enjoying themselves, getting to know each other and creating simple banter that was usually directed at Megumi—who actually enjoyed being the center of attention. Attention that wasn't malicious.

Because the girls treated her like one of their own—like they were never _not _friends. They were so welcoming and inviting and playful. It was nice to talk to them, to have friends again.

The camping trip ruined her last social life, slowly but surely. She and Michiru weren't that close anymore, which included her seeing less of Kenji. And Yamato broke up with her…

An hour, some wine, liqour, and five Styrofoam bowls in the trash later, the group gathered on the couch as a cheesy action movie played on the big screen in front of them. Megumi curled between Botan and Shizuru at the foot of the couch with the bottle of Brandy in hand. Keiko and Yukina sat behind them on the couch, laughing at the corny lines and guarding the bowl of chips and other salty snacks from Megumi and Botan.

"Keiko. Keiko," Megumi called through her laughter, reaching a hand out above her head behind her.

Keiko grasped it in laughter. "Yeah?"

"I loved that ramen, it's so delicious—where'd you get it?"

"My parents shop."

"It was so delicious… but I don't know if I'll ever be able to drink it again."

"Why not?" Her laughter died out and in all seriousness asked again. "Why can't you drink it…?"

"I'll be remembering it in the morning as my face is shoved in the nearest porcelain throne." She put the bottle to her lips again and chugged.

Botan and Keiko squealed, with the former kicking her feet in the air like a child and forgetting that she had a thick glass of her own liquid to worry about spilling. Wine splashed on Megumi's black leggings but she didn't mind—the stain couldn't be seen.

"I'm so sorry!" Botan gasped.

"I wear black all the time," Megumi reassured her and placed a consoling hand on Botan's arm. "Mainly to represent my soul but also to make sure I don't have to buy new clothes when this happens." As Botan laughed, Megumi paused and looked over her shoulder to Keiko. "...Fuck, did I say 'drink'?"

"...I thought something was strange," Keiko giggled.

"Yukina." Megumi glanced over her shoulder. "You hold your wine better than me and I'm so much older than you… right…?" She paused and looked at the girl in confusion. Sometimes people looked much younger than they were and she didn't want to offend the girl if she was older. "I'm older than you, right?"

The girls burst into snickers. Yukina spoke through hers. "Yes, of course, Megumi! You're definitely older than I am."

Megumi nodded, leaning against Botan as the blue-haired woman covered her face with her free hand, still laughing. Megumi didn't know why that was so funny to everyone. Were they really that drunk…? Or was that some sort of inside joke…?

Megumi pushed it aside, just glad she was fitting in with the girls. She was having a good time for the first time since that night. No night terrors, no being stalking, harassing, scaring, or taunting her. The woman didn't appear.

She poured the liquid down her throat again, numb to the usual sharpness.

She felt warm and safe with them. There was like a blanket of security wrapped around her, protecting her from the threats that plagued her daily life. She felt it most next to her person and she leaned her head on Botan's shoulder with a smile as they continued making fun of the corny special effects and lines.

"This is something stupid that Yusuke would totally be into," Keiko sighed as the main man uttered some try-hard, over-used line that was so cliché the nineteen-eighties called and asked for their lingo back.

"Is your boyfriend a meat head?" Megumi snorted.

"Only the biggest one in all three realms," Keiko replied.

Megumi snorted at the strange reply, figuring the reference to heaven and hell, and yawned. "I'm going to use that from now on. That's clever."

Botan smiled and leaned her head atop Megumi's. "You can't be tuckered out; it's not even midnight yet!"

"I'm not sleepy," Megumi replied with a smile, downing the rest of her brandy. "My head's just really heavy and I can't feel my legs."

She relished the night, thankful to be around the girls. She didn't want the night to end.

* * *

><p>Megumi awoke on the floor, head gently rested in the nook of Botan's arm and torso. She and Botan were curled under the kotatsu's warmth from the waist down. She groaned as she tried lifting her head up.<p>

"You up, too?" Shizuru's quiet grunt could be heard from the couch.

With heavy eyelids, Megumi looked up to find her coworker's head on the armrest with one arm over her eyes.

"Yeah… no headache yet…" Megumi responded quietly. "But the minute I step outside into the devil's sun it'll spike…"

Yukina and Keiko had fallen asleep on the love-seat, the two still in a peaceful slumber.

"Do you know what time it is?" Megumi asked, and Shizuru lifted her arm to glance at the watch on her wrist.

"Almost noon."

"Ah…" Megumi sighed. "I should probably get home and check on Tobio…"

"Dog?"

Megumi shook her head. "Cat. He gets cranky and bitter when you leave him alone for too long."

Shizuru let her arm fall and her hand clasped Megumi's shoulder. Giving it a tight squeeze, Shizuru gave a soft grin.

"Had a good night, huh?"

Megumi grinned. "Yeah. It was really nice… took my mind off _so_ many things. Thanks so much for inviting me."

"I know the girls all like you, so you should hang out again sometime. We always spend time together when we find openings in our schedules."

"Yeah, definitely!" Megumi smiled excitedly.

"Before you leave, there's a little note of paper on the table over there. Has our numbers in case you ever want to reach us or just talk, you know?"

Megumi glanced to the kotatsu and picked the little paper off the wood with a smile. Her eyes began to sting, but she blinked away the tears quickly.

They were all so nice to be around… she really needed people like them to be with her. Especially nowadays.

"Thank you for inviting me, really." Megumi found herself holding the numbers to her chest. "I really appreciate it."

"You're fun to be around," Shizuru said simply. "Everyone here likes you, Ijiri."

"You can call me Megumi..." Megumi blinked away a few more tears before turning around to smile to Shizuru. "Because I like you all too!"

* * *

><p>Just as Megumi predicted, the moment she stepped out of the Kuwabara household and into the early afternoon sun her headache spiked. Boy, did it spike…<p>

She squinted and groaned her entire way home, ready to crawl into her bed with Tobio and sleep off the hangover. She sighed with relief when she stepped inside her house. Taking off her heels, she locked the door behind her and called out for her cat.

The black ball of fluff trotted down the wood stairs and across the matching floor to his owner with little patters from his short, stubby legs filling the air.

"You're not mad at me for staying out so long?" she cooed tiredly, scratching behind his ear.

The Persian munchkin replied with a small meow and she scooped him up. She traveled back up the stairs and passed by the guest room, the bathroom, and then finally reached her room. She groaned as she remembered she left the curtains open and squinted in pain at the bright light shining in her room.

Setting Tobio on the bed, she closed the curtains and rubbed her temples, hoping for the headache to go away, begging it mentally. At least she didn't feel like vomiting yet. She would shower later; she didn't want to stand up anymore.

Just change clothes and crawl into bed, she thought to herself as she picked up a few pieces of clothing off her wood floor. Standing next to her nightstand, she saw the little red flash of the answering machine.

She pressed the play button as she began taking off her black leggings.

The automated voice machine played. _One message at seven thirty-three A.M._

Just as Megumi began to pull on her fleece pajama pants, she paused at the gut-wrenching sobs that cried out from the machine. Stunned, she paused and stared at the black device on the chestnut wood in horror, immediately placing the voice.

"Megumi!" Michiru's voice cried over the machine, almost incoherent. "Megumi… Megumi, please call me. Megumi, oh god… Something bad happened. Megu, please call and tell me you're alright…"

Her mind reeled instantly, remembering that none of the ghouls or monsters were there to haunt her last night… The woman didn't appear to her last night…

She lunged for the phone and called Michiru, but the rings went to voice mail. Megumi quickly changed into a hoodie and jeans and grabbed sunglasses to keep the sun's rays from frying her eyes and brain. She took a couple of aspirins and left her house.

She showed up at Michiru's apartment complex, finding a cop car outside. She hurried inside the building to find Michiru's room. The door was left ajar and Megumi feared the worst. She stopped in front of the open door and peeked inside before pulling off her shades. Luckily, Michiru was alive.

The petite brunette was crying on the couch, knees pulled to her chest. She was surrounded by two police officers.

"Michiru," Megumi called her name quietly, drawing everyone's attention.

"Ma'am, who are—" Michiru immediately cut off the taller officer.

"Megumi!" Michiru wailed and ran to her friend.

Megumi embraced the girl, feeling her chest heaving dramatically, tiredly, as she continued to cry.

"What happened?" Megumi asked, looking to the officers. "What's wrong?"

"Kenji…" Michiru sniffed, holding Megumi tighter. "Kenji… he hung himself from the living room fan last night."

A wave of coldness, comparable to that of ice, swept over Megumi's body and her knees went limp. The two girls fell to the ground, Michiru too distraught to even try to keep them standing.

_She_ did it. They did it. The woman called her underlings to… No… No, no.

Megumi's breath began to match the hitch of Michiru's, and the cops tried to console the two girls and take their statements as Michiru was convinced there was _no_ way Kenji would kill himself. He had too much to live for: school, career, _her._ She argued it wasn't a suicide, and out of courtesy and to keep the brunette from sobbing any longer, the police complied and took down any information she gave them.

But still, as there was nobody who wanted to hurt Kenji and no motive, it was going to be ruled a suicide. The autopsy would report it as a suicide regardless.

Megumi offered to stay with Michiru when the police left, but she wanted to be alone, to mourn in private. Before Megumi stepped out the apartment, she turned around and glanced at her friend.

"You think it was the… spirits… don't you?" Megumi whispered.

Michiru shook her head, eyes hitting the ground. "Don't start with that shit again, Megumi."

"If something happened last night—"

"I woke up and saw him hanging from the fan," Michiru asserted, glaring at Megumi. "It wasn't ghosts that dragged him up there."

Megumi looked to her friend desperately. "That's why you called me, to make sure I was alright too…"

The brunette stared into her friend's eyes before lowering them to the floor again. "I called Yamato, too… He's okay."

There was no point in pushing her any longer. Even if the ghouls and woman decided to show themselves to Michiru, even if Michiru saw something, she'd deny it. Just like they all have denied everything strange since that night.

Megumi nodded slowly, silently thanking Michiru for making that phone call. "Call me before you go to bed tonight?"

"Yeah… I will…"

With another long, tight hug between the two, Megumi set off for home. Immediately, she was racked with guilt. It was her fault they went after Kenji, it had to be… She drove off the ghouls for the night and the woman tormented Kenji in her place.

If only she hadn't gone to the little gathering… he would still be alive.

Megumi kept herself composed until she was able to get to her house and take off her jeans. Crawling into her bed, she sobbed hard enough into the thick sheets to attract Tobio's attention. The tubby cat curled up next to her, purring softly in hopes of comforting her.

But she only cried in the dimly lit room in fear, in grief.

After what felt like an hour or so of grieving to Megumi, Tobio began hissing, became defensive, and Megumi picked her head up from the pillows to see the mirrors that covered her closet doors. In it was her reflection, Tobio's, and behind her, leaning against the wall, was the woman's.

Had her shirt not been bloody and torn, showing the black lace lingerie underneath, the woman would almost have blended in to the white walls. She stood behind the bed, scowling, arms hanging leisurely at her sides.

Megumi stared at her in the mirror, sobs caught in her throat. She forgot how to breathe, all she could think—expect—was that she would be driven to kill herself too, just like Kenji. The woman pushed herself off the wall and Megumi tried choking back a sob that escaped her throat in fear.

She stepped closer, reaching the edge of the bed behind Megumi… and disappeared.

Shaking furiously, Megumi held an angry, hissing Tobio to her chest. Tobio began calming down, but his ears were still flat, pushed back, and he was tense. She pulled the duvet cover above her head and hid underneath them.

"What do I do, Tobio?" she cried, hiding her face in his fur, dampening it with her tears.

She didn't have the courage to come out from underneath the covers despite knowing they wouldn't do much to protect her. It was just the only place in her own home where her tormentors had yet to plague her.


	3. drei

**III. I NEED YOU.**

* * *

><p>"Can I leave?" A young woman with touched-up highlights in her dark brown hair asked. She slouched forward on the bench in boredom, waiting to pull out her fingers from under the UV light.<p>

She sat across the salon at the UV light bench and Megumi sat at her station, filing down her next customer's nails pensively. Everything Megumi's current customer was saying was going in one ear and out the other as she rounded the ring finger's nail.

"Excuse me, Ijiri… Can I leave now?" The woman tried again.

Shizuru paused in the midst of wrapping her client's hair in aluminum foil and glanced to her coworker.

"Megumi," Shizuru called quietly to the girl, who blinked and looked up from her customers hands.

Megumi's eyes widened in surprised. "Huh?"

Shizuru nodded to the previous customer and Megumi's brown eyes landed on the young woman.

A little miffed, the woman repeated herself. "Can I leave now?"

"Oh. Uh…" She glanced to the little clock on her table and then smiled to the woman. "Five more minutes. You chose a dark color."

Shizuru's gaze lingered on her coworker as she returned to filing her customer's nails. Her brows furrowed and she turned back to wrapping the aluminum foil around her customer's hair.

Megumi was so tense, pensive—so deep in thought and yet paranoid at the same time. All things pointed to her break up instead of the paranoia. She could tell it was _everything_ getting to her now.

Their customers left satisfied a while later. Megumi stared at the bubblegum pink nail polish in front of her. Her gracious, personal paper tip was hanging loosely between her fingers as if it didn't matter.

"Megumi," Shizuru said, sitting across from her.

Megumi looked up from the table again with wide eyes to find Shizuru bearing a noticeably concerned expression.

Megumi smiled. "Yeah?"

"What's wrong?"

Megumi paused. She didn't want to lie to Shizuru but she didn't want to burden her either.

"Just tell me." Shizuru's voice was soft but demanding.

"My friend… he, uh," she paused, forcing out the words. "Killed himself the other night."

In Megumi's gut, she knew he didn't kill himself. Well, he may have, but not of his own will, not because he really wanted to… only to get away from the mess.

Shizuru's expression softened slightly, but hardened just seconds later. Before she could speak, the door to the salon opened and the two young women heard the little jingle from the bell under the pop music.

"Hey, girls!" Botan waltzed through the door.

Megumi's heart skipped a beat, happy to see her new friend and not the woman that plagued her life. Botan carried a few little paper bags and all but skipped to Megumi's station.

"Brought some pastries from the café down the street!" Botan chirped and set a bag in front of Megumi. "I hope you like chocolate."

"My favorite, actually." Megumi happily took the white bag. "Thank you, Botan!"

"Ah, Shizuru." Botan turned to the brunette. "Can you take me to see that new shampoo you said you guys got?"

Luckily for Shizuru, Megumi was busy opening the bag to see what pastry Botan bought her and didn't hear the reaper. They'd been using the same brand shampoo for the past three months.

"Yeah. We'll be right back, Megumi." Shizuru stood from her chair.

"Huh? Oh, okay."

The two walked to the back of the salon near the shampoo chairs and rounded the short corner to hide behind it. Botan leaned against the wall.

"It's just like you said, something's _definitely_ following her," Botan whispered. She handed Shizuru one of the little white bags. Shizuru took it and Botan opened her own, pulling out an obnoxiously large sugar cookie with blue icing. "I just took a young man named Kenji to sentencing and he mentioned Megumi."

"So what's wrong?"

Botan shrugged. "He was positively traumatized. Koenma and I tried getting info out of him but he actually repressed the incident. He just kept saying Megumi's name, and 'Michiru' too."

"He repressed it that fast?" Shizuru cocked an eyebrow.

"It's not uncommon for some spirits to forget how they died. Then there are others who never forget and refuse sentencing. And so long as they're not physically harming anyone, we can't do anything about it. Earth-bound spirits can stay here if they don't bother anyone."

"So someone's not just haunting her, but all of her friends too?" Shizuru asked.

"Probably. I think being haunted is only part of it because I definitely feel youki around her too." Botan glanced around the corner to see Megumi. The girl was staring half-heartedly at her muffin. "And she's not a youkai, I checked her file."

"Stalked by youkai," Shizuru said. "And haunted by someone hateful."

Botan nodded and took a comically large bite from the cookie. "And like, harassment isn't a crime for youkai. I mean, we can always throw them back to Makai and ban them from ever returning. But even you've noticed there's a new signature to each ki each time. A lot of youkai are stalking her. Dozens of them, with the amount of ki radiating from her all the time."

"What should we do?" Shizuru crossed her arms over her chest. "I knew I could keep the youkai at bay by being around her, but if this ghost is as evil as we think…"

"You think we should tell her we know?"

Shizuru's frowned in thought. "I don't think we need to just yet."

Botan cocked her head to the side in curiosity as she took another large bite, leaving just half the cookie left. "Then what do you propose?"

Shizuru took a deep breath, weighing the options. "Let's keep watching over her, be around her more often. Maybe we'll witness something and she'll tell us."

Botan frowned as she chewed. "Are you sure we shouldn't just tell her? I feel like we should let her know she's not alone."

"You want to tell her all about Reikai and Makai?" Shizuru's brow rose.

"Well, you know I can't unless it's absolutely necessary…" Botan pouted. "The barrier may be down but I'm still obligated to be silent."

"I'll drop hints, see if she notices anything. If she gets any worse, I'll tell her."

Botan nodded and turned on her heels, giving Shizuru a wink over her shoulder before heading around the corner. "I'll drop by a few more times." Botan walked with a bounce in her step, passing by Megumi's station. "See you again sometime!"

Megumi glanced up to Botan, sadness washing over her quickly. "You're leaving already?"

"When the job calls, I have to answer." Botan smiled and waved, heading out the salon.

Megumi watched through the bay window as Botan left her view.

"Where does Botan work?" Megumi asked as Shizuru sat back down in the customer seat across from her.

"She's a… delivery girl." Shizuru wiped the knowing smile off her face before Megumi could notice it.

"Oh." Megumi turned to see Shizuru's little white bag. "What did you get?"

"Not sure," she grunted and opened the bag, finding a large brownie. She pinched it between her index finger and thumb and pulled it out to show Megumi. "It's almost as big as my head."

Megumi laughed. "I have two muffins to make up for their size, I guess."

"Sorry about your friend," Shizuru said, breaking a corner off her treat.

"Oh… thanks." Megumi's mood dipped low immediately. "None of us saw it coming."

"You know, you can always call any of us if you want to talk," Shizuru said. "That's why I gave you all our numbers."

Megumi's lips spread into a small smile and she sniffed before looking up at Shizuru. "I don't want to drag you into my messy life. I'm sure you don't want to hear me babble on about my problems."

"You don't have to talk," Shizuru said simply. "Just being on the phone with someone in silence helps sometimes."

A small bubble of warmth burst in Megumi's chest, she was lucky to have such a nice coworker—a nice friend. But she knew she couldn't drag her into her problems. Shizuru may think she was crazy if she told her the creepy story that was her life.

"I may take you up on that offer." Megumi pinched part of the muffin's top and broke away a piece.

The chocolate was sweet, savory, and the muffin's texture hit her taste buds in just the right way. She relished the time she spent with her friend because she knew when she stepped out the salon she would return to the ghouls that plagued her.

* * *

><p><span><strong>THE CAMPING NIGHT<strong>

Megumi latched onto Michiru's arm as they followed their boys in the cave. They watched Kenji ahead of them, leading them deeper into what could only be a dark hell. That's certainly what it felt like, at least. The heaviness in the air, the feeling of being watched, the animosity radiating from every nook and cranny.

"Shouldn't we leave a trail or something so we know how to get back?" Megumi asked.

"Nah, we're just walking straight," Kenji replied.

"We just turned a corner five minutes ago…" Michiru mumbled.

"Yamato, come on," Megumi pleaded. "I don't like this place. We're not welcome here."

He didn't reply and Kenji turned around. "Eh? Where'd Yamato go?"

"You're right…" A low voice rumbled from behind the girls, both of them stiffening in fright. "Disgraceful mortals aren't welcome here."

"Y-y-y-y-y-y-Yamato!" Megumi finally managed to work her chattering mouth. "Stop fucking around!"

"Yamato?" The voice laughed. "The boy I just found a few yards away? He sure tasted good."

Michiru couldn't find the courage to look behind her and Kenji flashed the light on the girls to see who was behind him. He froze in shock, mouth agape.

"Not funny!" Megumi screamed. She managed to move away from Michiru, who was also was inching away from Megumi in hopes of both of them being able to sprint off. "This isn't fucking funny!"

"You're right again, mortal girl…" Wet, grassy hands latched on Megumi's and Michiru's shoulders and squeezed. "Your disturbance in our home isn't funny at all."

The two girls screamed bloody murder and Megumi yanked herself away from the monster. The two girls sprinted into the darkness.

Kenji shined the flashlight down the pathway just seconds later and couldn't see the girls. He could only hear their echoing screams. He turned back around and faced Yamato with a childish snicker.

"Everyone said you were good at playing with your voice but _damn._ You're really good, dude. You had me going for a second."

Yamato threw the weird, dewy plants he picked up near the walls of the cave on the floor and shrugged, chuckling. "Megumi is going to fucking _kill_ me."

"Yeah, let's go find them before they blame us for getting themselves lost." Kenji turned around and followed the girls in the dark, Yamato trailing steps behind.

* * *

><p><span><strong>THE KUWABARA HOUSEHOLD<strong>

It'd been bothering him for about two days now—Shizuru's friend's aura. He faced a lot of things over the years. Hell, he went to Makai twice and went to the Dark Tournament where an entire island was just crawling with youkai.

But he hadn't felt something like that in years. Not since he was a young child. He'd only experienced the nasty tingle once with a creepy ghost in an abandoned house he and his friends were exploring. The only way to describe that experience was "the heebie-jeebies."

That girl was off and it'd been gnawing at him to find out what was wrong.

He stopped at the last step of the stairs, looking at the back of his sister's head as she watched another mindless sitcom. He wanted to ask her but since she didn't bring it up to him he had a feeling she had a reason to keep it from him.

But her coworker was just… something was so far from right with her it was _left,_ okay?

"You want to explain why you're staring daggers into the back of my head, little bro?" Shizuru droned, not even bothering to look over her shoulder from her comfortable position on the couch.

He rubbed the back of his neck and leaned on the wall. "It's been gnawing at me ever since she came over—"

"Megumi?" Shizuru's interest piqued and she finally turned around.

"Your coworker, yeah." He nodded. "You… you do know something's off about her, right?"

Disappointed, almost as if she was wondering why she'd expect anything different from her little brother, she looked back to the TV. "Why do you think I'm spending time around her?"

"Well, that's kind of what I was wondering," he replied.

"We think an evil spirit's and some youkai are haunting her," she said, dragging her fingers through her hair and raking it up into a messy pony-tail. "They don't bother her when I'm around."

"You don't have to do that, you know," he said. "Urameshi's got that independent detective business on the side of his ramen stand. He'd give you a discount."

"I'm not going to pay him," she replied.

"What a cheapskate…" Kazuma mumbled, earning a warning glare from his sister that sent shivers down his spine. He laughed quickly. "You sure you should be dealing with that stuff, though? It can get dangerous."

"It's just some earth bound spirit ordering around low-level youkai. I'm fine," she replied. "Besides, I don't want to bother Yusuke about it because Megumi already feels like she's going crazy. She doesn't need others making her feel like a freak."

"Well, how'd you get her to tell you?"

"She didn't. I just noticed the change over time."

"So… she doesn't know you know?" Kazuma raised an eyebrow.

"Nope."

"Why not tell her? She's probably feeling alone."

"I will eventually. I'm waiting for the right time."

"When's the right time?" he asked as the home phone began ringing.

The silence between them was palpable and Kazuma was waiting for a genuine answer from his sister. But Shizuru only shrugged and pushed herself off the couch.

* * *

><p><span><strong>THE IJIRI HOUSEHOLD<strong>

Tobio rubbed himself against Megumi's leg; his tail swished around and wrapped itself along her calf. She stood at the kitchen counter cutting meat as water came to a boil on the stove. She was making chicken ramen but wished she could have some of Keiko's. She should have asked where the girl lived so she could pick a bowl up on the way home from work.

Tobio meowed loudly and sat on his haunches next to her. She glanced down to her cat, letting some curls pinned to her head in a clip come loose and bounce around her face.

"You want some chicken?" she asked in a pitched voice, the one a mother would use on her infant.

He replied loudly and Megumi stuck her tongue out at him.

"Wait until I sauté it, at least. You know I don't like giving you raw meat, dummy." A low rumble from his throat carried through the air to Megumi. "Remember when I gave you raw pork when I was younger? You coughed it up on the couch."

He grumbled and began pacing around her again, purring loudly. She dumped the chopped chicken from her cutting board into the pan on the stove. The sizzling and hissing that occurred as the aroma of her spices and sauces wafted up to her nose made her smile. She hummed a popular song's tune from the radio softly, pushing the meat and juices around in the pan with a wooden spoon.

There was a sudden chill in the air, prickling every pore of her exposed skin and forcing her hairs on end. She glanced around the kitchen, finding it empty, and then looked down to Tobio, who was looking up at one of the cupboards.

Megumi's eyes followed her cat's, but found nothing there.

"...Just a draft, yeah? I'll just turn on the heater later," she laughed quietly to herself, only to let out a sharp scream as she heard the cupboard door slam open.

She turned around swiftly. The same cupboard door was now wide open. Grotesque, horrifying bugs of various colors scurried out and traveled around the woodwork. Gigantic centipedes, monstrous spiders, eight-legged... flies. And yet they still looked their own—like they weren't from this world.

God knows they weren't.

Tobio hissed and bared his fangs at the bugs, but Megumi's eyes glued to the imps and ghouls that appeared next. They'd made their entrances by slamming all the other cupboards open. They started pushing glass cups and coffee mugs off the shelves. Doors slammed open and closed repeatedly and the monsters threw dishes and glass to the linoleum tile floor.

Green, purple, black—the monsters were small but mischievous. Horned and fanged, some winged, with large eyes and even larger, devious smiles. Clawed hands, sharp enough to rip clean through her skin.

One imp in particular, the green one she held a personal distaste for, picked up a glass and chucked it at her. She luckily ducked in time to avoid it crashing into her face and let the wall behind her take the blow. She ran to the hallway with Tobio following behind her. She glanced to an answering machine, finding no new messages; she almost hoped Michiru or Yamato would have called. Maybe they knew something was happening.

Maybe something was happening to them right now too.

Crashes continued sounding from the kitchen and she ran in time to avoid a flying plate crashing at her feet. She ran up the stairs, stumbling slightly, but used the moment to pick up Tobio at her side and hurry to her room.

It wasn't like she had anywhere else to go—no matter where she went, they haunted her, harassed her. She could leave the house and everyone could see her running in fear from nothing like a freak.

She closed her bedroom door behind her and looked around her room to make sure she was safe. For now… she was.

She hurried to the other answering machine in the house, next to her land line. She had set the little paper of numbers next to her phone. She scouted for Botan's number but it wasn't there…

Megumi instantly called Michiru but she didn't pick up. Megumi wasn't too worried, as she and Michiru agreed to call each other every morning and night. If neither picked up, they would leave a message. If they didn't call back by the next scheduled phone call, they would go check up on each other.

"Hey…" Megumi spoke quickly, quietly, into the receiver. She hoped Michiru wouldn't hear the ongoing chaos in the background: the crashes and slams from the kitchen still ongoing. "Just checking up on you! Call me back when you get a chance… please…"

She hung up and scanned the little list once more. Wait... she did have one place where they didn't bother her.

She punched in the numbers as what she could only assume was a plate smashed into the closed door. She practically jumped out of her skin, on the brink of tears. Tobio's hissing drew her attention to her pet. She hoped with every fiber in her being the woman hadn't appeared.

He was hissing at the door.

"Kuwabara household. Shizuru speaking."

"Um… hey, Shizuru!" Megumi squeaked, sitting against her nightstand and curling into the nook between it and her bed. If she could just ease into a conversation maybe she could ask to go over. She blinked away the tears stinging at her eyes. "I was, uh… just calling to talk…"

There was a brief pause before Shizuru spoke. "Where do you live?"

"Huh? Oh…" Megumi rattled off the address to her. "Why?"

"I'll be over in a few."

"Oh, no!" But Shizuru had already hung up.

She stared at the phone, guilt washing over her. She didn't want Shizuru to come here and get hurt! She didn't want her to witness the mess…

She had to clean up everything before Shizuru arrived. She stood slowly, cautiously, and looked to Tobio for him to make a move or sound that said it was too dangerous to leave the room. He seemed calm, tense still, but calm. She opened the door slowly and peeked around the hallway.

They were… gone…

She wiped the tears from her eyes, careful not to smudge her makeup. Sniffing, she looked around the hallway again. Empty. She didn't feel the same eerie presence. The same cold chill.

She spent the next few minutes hurriedly sweeping up the broken glass and ceramic all around the house. She managed to multitask handling the chicken but it ended up a bit crisp to her liking. Eh... it would still be fine to eat. Luckily, just as she swept up the last of the damage around the kitchen and dumped the shards into the trash bin, the doorbell rang.

Before leaving the kitchen, she made sure everything looked right. Everything was put away, no broken plates or glass... Presentable.

She peeked out the peephole and opened the door, both thankful and guilty to see Shizuru on her doorstep. Megumi opened the door and gave Shizuru a sheepish smile.

Hands in her jacket pocket, Shizuru glanced around the inside of Megumi's house briefly.

"I'm making chicken ramen…" Megumi forced a smile and moved out of the way to let Shizuru in. "Would you like some?"

"Sure." Shizuru was noticeably less interested in Megumi's offer and far more inclined to looking around the house.

Megumi watched her curiously… why was she suspicious? Had Megumi really been acting weird enough to worry Shizuru? She quickly noted the little backpack strap on Shizuru's shoulder… she brought clothes.

Shizuru noticed her eyeing the backpack and gave a reassuring smile. "Figured you'd like some company, with your friend's death and all."

"Oh… yeah…" Megumi sighed. She just looked depressed to everyone, not crazy... She didn't know whether to feel relieved or ashamed.

Shizuru's nose twitched, sparking Megumi's curiosity. "Something's burning."

Megumi paled, blanched, as she realized what it was.

"Oh, _crap!"_ She jumped and turned around, crying out. "The chicken!"

As Megumi sprinted to the kitchen to save dinner, Shizuru glanced around the hallway and into the living room. She exerted some of her reiki as a warning, daring any youkai or ghoul to show their face in her presence.


End file.
